Witch Spring 3/Combat
Witch Spring 3 boasts a more in-depth combat system than the previous two games, combining elements of its predecessors and adding some new features. The game has a dynamic combat menu that changes depending on the abilities Eirudy has unlocked and, in some cases, what equipment she is wearing. See also: Equipment and Training Overview When Eirudy enters combat, a small dotted line appears under her opponents' HP gauges. This is their Action bar, which fills up with yellow as they approach their turn. Eirudy's Action bar is under her HP and MP, at the top left corner of the screen. Under her HP/MP gauge is a list of Eirudy's buffs, if there are any. She will always enter combat with a Magic Shield, which reduces damage by a certain percent (default is 30%). With each of her turns that pass, the amount of damage the shield will block decreases unless she uses a magic spell. Buffs granted by riding a mount (Boar Doll, Denver, or Birdrock) are also listed in this area. Bonus Stats Under certain conditions, Eirudy can gain bonus stats after battle (and the amount of stats gained can be boosted by certain equipment): *'Use Swordsmanship skills 4+ times:' +1 STR (Magic Swordsmanship doesn't count) *'Use Magic Spells 4+ times:' +1 MAG (Magic Swordsmanship doesn't count) *'Use at least 50% MP in battle:' +2 MP *'Attack for at least 5 turns:' +1 AGI *The Silver Pendant accessory (found in the Temple of Morell in Chapter 4: Tri-Caliber) will double the stats you gain after battle. *'Eileen's Thorn Staff' (only available in post-game) raises the bonus stats from +1 to +30. Its effect stacks with Silver Pendant for +60 bonus stats per battle. The Combat Menu Soul Stone Aside from using her Soul Stone to hold Vitality for upgrading her dolls, Eirudy can also use it once in battle to replenish her HP and MP. However, there is a downside: it uses up all the Vitality held within it, regardless of how large her Soul Stone is. It heals back as much HP and MP as there was Vitality in it. If Eirudy fights against a monster she cannot flee from, and has enough Vitality in her Soul Stone, it will automatically be used should her HP drop to 0. Swordsmanship Eirudy's swordsmanship skills are pure physical attacks and have a HP cost that depends on how many consecutive attacks she uses. Unlike Luna, who learns consecutive attacks from an optional side quest and slowly increases her number of consecutive attacks with each turn, Eirudy's is solely dependent on her Swordsmanship level. To raise Eirudy's swordsmanship level, her maximum HP has to exceed a certain amount and you must train her Swordmanship Training. The first two levels are already unlocked at the beginning of the game. * 1-3 hits have a flat cost. From 4 hits on, the HP cost scales to maximum HP. The values above are calculated from this comment thread and may not be completely accurate. Swordsmanship can be useful if you want to conserve MP; if you can defeat an enemy using only Swordsmanship skills, it is possible to recover whatever HP you spent as long as you defeated an enemy with Vitality. Magical Swordsmanship Imbues magic power into your weapon, allowing for a combination physical-magic attack. After selecting a Magical Swordsmanship technique, use a Swordsmanship skill for it to take effect. It does not combine with regular magic spells. Magical Swordsmanship is trained by using Magic Shaping in the training schedule once your MAG stat is above a certain level. Note: The game incorrectly states that there are 5 levels of Magic Swordsmanship; there are only 4. To complete the Top Level Magic Swordsmanship quest, use Magic Residue. Magic Spells Magic works slightly differently from the previous games. Unlike the previous two where each supportive magic circle had to be created for each slot, they only need to be created once in Witch Spring 3, which can then be used for all three slots. Like Luna, Eirudy can learn five types of magic: general offensive magic (which, in this game, only the optional Ecarr Vertel belongs to), Fire magic, Ice magic, Lightning magic, and Healing magic. She also has access to supportive magic circles that boost her spells' powers or reduces their MP cost. Items Eirudy can use various items in battle. They range from regular HP and MP recovery items, to special items bought from vendors to boost her combat abilities. Normally, using items will use up her turn, but equipping Hector's Battle Sack will allow her to act after using an item. Dolls See also: Witch Spring 3/Dolls While some Dolls can be summoned in the field as a mount, most Dolls can only be summoned in-battle with the Doll command. Unlike the previous two games where only one Pet could be used at a time, Eirudy can summon up to three Dolls in battle. She can only ride one mount at a time, so if you're riding the Boar Doll and summon Birdrock, the Boar Doll will be replaced by Birdrock. Guard This game also adds a Guard option, unlike the previous games where you could only use a physical attack, magic attack, an item, use a pet skill/change pets, or flee (if possible). By Guarding, Eirudy can gain a certain amount of Defense for a turn and once she stops Guarding, she will restore a portion of her HP and MP. The higher the Guard level, the sooner your turn comes back; at level 7, it will only take up half a turn. Guarding is trained by doing push-ups in the training schedule. In order to unlock the next level, you also need to have your DEF stat above a certain number. Fleeing Like the previous games, Eirudy can run away from most non-plot-related battles. She retains whatever damage she sustained, while the enemy recovers to full health. Should Eirudy be defeated in a non-critical battle, she will automatically teleport home. Equipment Skill Certain equipment, when worn, will grant Eirudy a special skill in her combat menu that appears between the Soul Stone and Swordsmanship icons. There are five pieces of equipment that will grant Eirudy special skills; four of them can be found in the main story, and one in the post-game. The main story equipment are Za'rrel Shubetha (Deathblow), the Staff of Revgato (Unir), Armedak the Holy Blade (Ecarr Vertel), and the Shezarian Woodpiece (calls their ghosts). Because the first three are acquired in an event where you can only pick one, you will only own two items with Skills in a single playthrough. (You can also have the Shezarian Woodpiece's skill in tandem with a weapon skill; another slot in the combat menu will be added to fit the Shezarian Woodpiece.) In the post-game, by completing the Justice and Sofia event, Eirudy will acquire the weapon Great Sword Esteras. Esteras has the weapon skill Double Croche, but it can only be used if she has the Pinerame outfit (acquired in the Mahnil Island event, a prerequisite for the Justice and Sofia event). Category:WS3 Guides